Drama as Buhari’s NCC board nominee presents one-year diploma certificate as academic qualification

One of the arrowheads for the campaign that the Senate of the Federal Republic of Nigeria be scrapped, Alhaji Aliyu Saidu Abubakar, on Wednesday, insisted that Nigeria does not deserve a bicameral legislature.

Aliyu, who is a nominee representing the North East in the proposed Governing Board of the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) stated that the upper legislative chamber was a waste of fund and government resources.

The nominee had appeared before the Senator Gilbert Nnaji-led committee on Communications for the ongoing screening of NCC board nominees.

A member of the committee had confronted the nominee, asking why he would accept to appear before the same Senate which he once led a protest for its scrapping.

The drama, however, started when instead of apologising to the Senate and repent of his previous moves, the nominee insisted that the senate be scrapped as cost of running the legislative arm was high and unbearable.

The nominee noted that a situation where the senators had been receiving huge transport, wardrobe and dressing allowances and others was a clear economic loss to the country.

He also listed the purchase of expensive vehicles for Senators as another reason why the upper chamber should be scrapped.

“The Senate is an avenue for wastage of scarce economic resources of the country. The Senate must go”, Aliyu insisted

Meanwhile, the committee had earlier listed what it described as “grave irregularities” in the personal records of the nominee while perusing through the copies of curriculum vitae he submitted.

The committee noted that apart from birth certificate, there were only copies of court affidavit and police extract dated the same day, claiming loss of his credentials.

This made the committee to infer that the court affidavit and police extract may have been procured after Abubakar had been nominated to serve in the board.

The committee also said that it was interesting that the highest academic qualification of the nominee was a one-year “Diploma in Computer” from Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University, Bauchi.

It also revealed that the attached statement of result was dated 23rd September 2016, also obtained after he had been nominated by President Muhammadu Buhari.

Requested to show reason why he chose to present documents that were procured shortly after his nomination and also why he believed that he was qualified to function as a National Commissioner in such a critical agency like NCC given the rigours, challenges and required expertise for efficiency of the commission, Aliyu said he “did not bother to go for the credentials.”

He explained further that he “only went to school merely for knowledge having been self-employed prior to the nomination.”